Vietnam has made great strides in expanding social health insurancecoverage, now covering more than half of its population, the World Banksaid in its report launched in Hanoi on September 17.
“Vietnam has made significant progress toward achieving universalcoverage for its population, and the government has made ambitious planstoward reaching that goal.” said Victoria Kwakwa, the World BankCountry Director for Vietnam.
“This study shows us how Vietnamcan speed up this process in order to ensure a healthy Vietnamesepopulation while reducing the health financial burden on the poor,” sheadded.
The report “Moving toward universal Healthcoverage of Social health insurance in Vietnam: Assessment and Options”offers a comprehensive assessment of Vietnam’s implementation of itssocial health insurance programme, as well as recommendations on keyreforms to achieve universal coverage.
According to thereport, thanks to higher government spending in health care services,the insurance programme, which was piloted in 1989, has greatly boostedthe number of people with health insurance. In 2010, 60 percent of thepopulation got covered, up from 10 percent in the early 1990s.
Thereport proposed reforms in several areas, including further increasinginsurance coverage through premium subsidies, encouraging familyenrollment and enforcing enrollment compliance, and improving equity andfinancial protection by cutting down on extra charges outside of policyand introducing catastrophic cost coverage.
It alsosuggests s trengthening health financing arrangements by ensuring moneyis spent more effectively and efficiently on drugs, and increasingaccountability by intensifying the organisation, management andgovernance of social health insurance.-VNA
“Vietnam has made significant progress toward achieving universalcoverage for its population, and the government has made ambitious planstoward reaching that goal.” said Victoria Kwakwa, the World BankCountry Director for Vietnam.
“This study shows us how Vietnamcan speed up this process in order to ensure a healthy Vietnamesepopulation while reducing the health financial burden on the poor,” sheadded.
The report “Moving toward universal Healthcoverage of Social health insurance in Vietnam: Assessment and Options”offers a comprehensive assessment of Vietnam’s implementation of itssocial health insurance programme, as well as recommendations on keyreforms to achieve universal coverage.
According to thereport, thanks to higher government spending in health care services,the insurance programme, which was piloted in 1989, has greatly boostedthe number of people with health insurance. In 2010, 60 percent of thepopulation got covered, up from 10 percent in the early 1990s.
Thereport proposed reforms in several areas, including further increasinginsurance coverage through premium subsidies, encouraging familyenrollment and enforcing enrollment compliance, and improving equity andfinancial protection by cutting down on extra charges outside of policyand introducing catastrophic cost coverage.
It alsosuggests s trengthening health financing arrangements by ensuring moneyis spent more effectively and efficiently on drugs, and increasingaccountability by intensifying the organisation, management andgovernance of social health insurance.-VNA
